Space 1999 Audio Drama Preview

A Space 1999 Audio drama preview is available for you to listen to on the Gerry Anderson Podcast Pod 65. It’s the first 15 minutes of ‘Breakaway’ a feature-length reimagining of the first story originally shown in 1975. You can listen to the Space 1999 audio drama preview right here:

Space: 1999 was originally launched in September 1975. It was lavish, it was expensive, it was thrilling, and it was packed with stunning effects and exotic alien worlds. It told the story of the inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha, forced to journey into the unknown when a freak nuclear accident blasts the Moon out of Earth’s orbit and into deep space. Martin Landau played Alpha’s leader Commander John Koenig, Barbara Bain was Dr Helena Russell and Barry Morse portrayed scientist Professor Victor Bergman.

These much-loved characters – and many others – are back this September in a brand-new series of audio dramas which will combine re-imagined versions of classic episodes together with all-new scripts.

After the Apollo missions of the 1960s and early 1970s, space exploration was very nearly abandoned as public pressure mounted for money to be concentrated on problems down here on Earth.

But, by a whisker, funding was granted for a base on the Moon. Greatly expanded, it became the international Moonbase Alpha we know today. 311 personnel serve in a perfect, self-sustaining, artificial environment – their mission statement: ‘To forward the frontiers of human knowledge and science’.

Dateline: 13th September 1999. The interplanetary Meta Probe is due to be launched from a platform orbiting the Moon. What could possibly go wrong?

Stepping enthusiastically into the role of Commander Koenig is Mark Bonnar, the Scottish multi-BAFTA-winning actor best known for Shetland, Catastrophe, Humans, Porridge, Line of Duty and Unforgotten. “Space: 1999 and Martin Landau were two of my favourite things growing up,” says Mark. “So my ten-year-old self was jumping up and down when I got the news that I’d been cast!”

Executive producer, Nicholas Briggs, who is also writing and directing the series, explains more: “The possibilities for this series are endless. It’s an unplanned odyssey that starts with a catastrophe. Disparate personalities are thrown together, clinging on for dear life, finding themselves flung to the far reaches of a universe full of wonder and danger. We’re being absolutely faithful to that central concept, but there is also an element of reinvention in this version. It will feel and sound very much like the original, but with extra dimensions and lots of surprises.”

Producer David Richardson says: “I was obsessed with Space: 1999 when it first aired. I have a photo of a 12-year-old me standing in my bedroom surrounded by my Space: 1999 posters, books and toys. And the 56-year-old me still regularly watches the series on Blu-ray – it’s been with me all my life and remains a part of my DNA!”

Jamie Anderson (son of Space: 1999 creator Gerry Anderson) is script editing this series. Jamie says: “From the very first moments of the opening drumroll of the iconic Barry Gray theme (skillfully reimagined by Benji Clifford), Big Finish has managed to do something pretty special with this new version of Space: 1999. Writer/director Nick Briggs has poured a huge amount of love into this, and it really shows. The story contains the essence and spirit of the original, but with a much deeper exploration of the characters. It’s been a pleasure to be involved with this project and I know Dad would have loved it!”

Space: 1999 will launch on 13th September 2019 with the pilot episode Breakaway!, which has been adapted and reimagined by Nicholas Briggs. This release date has been chosen because it is 20 years to the day after the Moon was blown out of Earth’s orbit (according to the original series’ opening titles)! This feature-length first story is split over two CDs, with a further hour of behind-the-scenes interviews and extras on a bonus disc.

An additional box set of four episodes will follow early in 2020, with the full cast announced in the coming months.

About US

Gerry Anderson was born on 14 April 1929, and through a combination of skill and an incredible level of determination earned his first credit as a producer when he was still in his 20s. Years before the word ‘brand’ was popularly applied to television, Gerry’s name came to represent an inimitable style of entertainment that proved hugely successful around the world. From Fireball XL5 to Space: 1999, Captain Scarlet to Space Precinct, Supercar to Thunderbirds - he has become the UK's equivalent of Walt Disney.
During the 1960s Gerry used puppetry to realise epic science fiction scenarios that would have been impossible to achieve in anything other than miniature scale. The names of the shows he produced during this era are familiar to millions, and continue to entertain audiences today. An incredible feat unsurpassed by any other British TV and film producer.
As the optimism of the 1960s faded, Gerry Anderson created darker scenarios for the new decade. Live-action series UFO and Space: 1999 anticipated the accomplishments of Star Wars and are still regarded by many as his finest work.
He was never content to stand still, and his programmes became increasingly diverse in the 1980s. He made a welcome return to puppetry for Terrahawks and brought the animated private detective Dick Spanner to the screen, while developing a parallel career as an award-winning director of sophisticated television commercials.
In the 1990s he created and produced the lavish live-action series Space Precinct, before returning to children’s entertainment with the enchanting Lavender Castle. In 2001 he was awarded an MBE for services to the British film industry.
The astonishing New Captain Scarlet premièred in 2005, by which time Gerry (then 76) was long past the age when most people consider retiring. His enthusiasm for the next project, and his fascination for the latest technology, remained undimmed through much of his final illness. He passed away on 26 December 2012.
Despite being relatively shy, and never really spending much time looking back and reminiscing over his achievements Gerry Anderson came to appreciate that for many people his shows represented a special time in their lives. And he was proud that the ingenuity and optimism of his characters galvanised some viewers who went on to distinguished careers within film, television and other fields.
Thunderbirds has inspired movies, stage shows and a vast array of merchandise, all reflecting its phenomenal impact on our popular culture, and together with his other shows is cherished by many generations of viewers.